So, I've needed a dishwasher for about 3 out of the last 3.5 years we've lived here. I intended on putting one on my Christmas list two years ago, but we decided to make it work for another year. By Christmas 2008, my racks were starting to rust out and fall apart. My parents gave us a "certificate" for Christmas that allowed for us to pick out a dishwasher on their dime. I had an impossible one deciding on one, and that offer expired. Well, it didn't really expire, but my mom picked out and had a freezer delivered to me as a surprise in September. We needed one of those too, and I figure she felt "safe" picking one out for us. Thanks mom!
Well, Christmas 2009 came around, and my dishes were coming out dirtier than when we put them in, and the racks in the washer were disintegrating right before our very eyes. It was time. We decided we had to bite the bullet, and we ended up saving $350 from our Christmas budget to get a new dishwasher. It wasn't our favorite decision we've ever made. Nobody is dying to get a dishwasher for Christmas, but it was necessary. It was the only way we would have the extra money.
I hit the after Christmas sales and read some reviews online, and I decided I would get this one. When I went to pick it up, it was a total no go. It felt really cheap and like it wasn't worth the low price tag. Back to square one, AND we had to "up" our budget. Thankfully, my last paycheck of the year included a $150 bonus for passing an industry related exam. That money was mine to do whatever I wanted, so we decided to put it towards the dishwasher.
Guess what happened at square one?!?!?! Our dishwasher moved on from not cleaning dishes and disintegrating to LEAKING. BIG PROBLEM. My mom told me that Home Depot was having 10% off all appliances with free delivery and take away. I decided I was in. I once again read some reviews online, talked to my mom and mother in law about their GE's, and decided on a GE Adora. I hauled the girls out in no more than 5 degree snowy weather, and we sealed the deal for a final price of 10% off the sale price. Not too bad I thought. A really good dishwasher for a pretty good price.
And then everything came crashing to a halt...
I had to delay the delivery for almost a week due to heavy snow. It wasn't too big of a deal but when my husband pulled the old dishwasher out, it stopped working all together. We also discovered that our old dishwasher was hard-wired in to our electrical. It occurred to me that I should have asked how the new dishwasher was set up (or maybe the dishwasher sales person should have helped me to think through that.) I called Home Depot, and I was assured that the dishwasher was a plug in. Sooooo, my husband broke out the tools and installed a plug in where the hard wiring was done. It wasn't too big of a deal, but we did have to spend an hour or two in the dark while he did the work!
When the dishwasher finally arrived on Tuesday, it arrived during the 15 minutes my husband had to take my oldest daughter to school. He asked the delivery drivers to either give him 15 minutes or to come back later in the morning. They agreed, but didn't show back up. When I called GE, I was told that they had reset our delivery time for Saturday. SATURDAY! SATURDAY?!?!?!?!?!? (I was heated. Let me tell you.) Home Depot's customer service was a little better. They bumped me up to Thursday. Eventually called the trucking company myself, and the owner offered to delivery my dishwasher himself with his own personal pick-up. I really owe that nice man a favor!
Soooooooooo, after being treated horribly by GE and not a whole lot of help from Home Depot, I finally got my new dishwasher! We were so stoked until we discovered...it was HARD-WIRED. I promptly dialed Home Depot where I explained that I had ACTUALLY managed to get my dishwasher (with no help from them,) and that they had given me misinformation about the electrical workings of my dishwasher. (You can guess where I was going here. DISCOUNT.) I think the lady I had been working with was feeling pretty bad for me by this time. She immediately offered me another 10% off. I geared up with my favorite Dave Ramsey line from Financial Peace University that I had not yet had a chance to use, "THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH." Instead, I got another 15% off and a free electrical adapter kit.
And that's the story of how I got a $699 dishwasher for $449. I know, I know, $449 is a lot of money. Good things come to those who wait, and I feel like God blessed our patience, consideration of our resources and our savings effort! After tax, our new dishwasher came in at almost exactly our combined Christmas and bonus savings -- $500!
I couldn't call myself "Frugalista" if my message was buying the cheapest thing possible. That's just being cheap. Instead, being frugal is about getting the absolute best product for the absolute best price. It takes some practice, but I think I'm getting pretty good! It's the only way I can afford to be "fancy!" Maybe sometime I'll tell you guys about how I got the brand new 38K Chrysler Town and Country for 23K. Maybe that's a new car purchase I could even get Dave Ramsey to stand behind...???
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